How YOU can
clear yourself into Panama and arrange for YOUR Canal Transit

What's This About?Boats arriving in Panama seem overly inclined to seek out
an agent or a 'pseudo' agent (aka: the ubiquitous 'taxi driver')
to handle the paperwork, or to have the marina do the work for
them.If that's
your preference, you'll have lots of choices...but it all costs
money.My
impression is that this choice is often made because Colon has a
shady crime-ridden rep and the skipper simply doesn't know where
to go or what to do. If those things are outlined for an
arriving skipper, however, there is little reason to use others
as the tasks are very simple.So if you don't mind spending a small amount of sweat
equity, you can save hundreds of your cruising dollars.Therefore, I thought a basic description of both
processes – clearing in/out and arranging a Canal Transit –
might make some folks more comfortable with making their own
arrangements.

These crews knew how to do it...and so can you.

The Eric Bauhaus guide and ACP
booklets can be very helpful to any crew.

By the way, all of this info is in the
Bauhaus' Panama Cruising Guide, though in somewhat
different form.
Describing it through the eyes of a fellow cruiser would, I
thought, make it seem a little less intimidating.

Where – Exactly – Does This Begin?I'll describe the process of arriving in Colon (the
harbor is referred to as Cristobal) from outside the country,
with the subsequent Transit going north to south via the Canal
to Balboa.As I
understand it, the basics remain the basics whether one is
approaching from the Pacific side or clearing in at another
Panama clearance port.It's only the locations, and of course local officials
being what they are, perhaps the details that might vary a bit..

First Choices:On arrival in Cristobal and after being cleared to enter
the Harbor by Signal Station Cristobal on VHF 12, a boat either
makes for The Flats (an anchorage marked off by yellow lighted
buoys) or seeks a berth at the newish, recently expanded Shelter
Bay Marina (VHF 74; for all contact, reservation and marina info
see
www.shelterbaymarina.com).

The Flats has traditionally been where
cruising boats anchored and where they were measured for a
Transit.But with
the PCYC plowed under, there is no access to Colon from the
Flats in your own dinghy.At least one taxi driver, Tito, provides launch service
to the Flats but there are a series of trade-offs if selecting
the 'free' anchorage:dependence on and cost of the launch services, the need
to always make arrangements to get ashore, the safety of being
shuffled into taxis from the docks (and back again) in one of
the roughest parts of Colon, and the feeling you are somewhat
imprisoned by circumstances.The Flats anchorage makes the most sense if you want to
transit immediately, you arrive when there isn't a significant
backlog of yacht slots for the Transit, and you plan to do all
your subsequent provisioning, boat projects, etc. on the 'other
side' (see more on that below).To test the backlog, call the Canal Scheduler at 507 272
4202 and/or the Admeasurer at 507 443 2298 and see what the
backlog is.

The alternative, Shelter Bay, is remotely
located on the NW corner of Cristobal's Harbor and of course
you'll incur berthing costs by coming here ($.65/ft/day for a
monohull currently, although there are many other amenities you
can pay for as well, if inclined.(One of these is renting a mobile/cell phone, $1.50/day,
which is a very useful tool for minimizing your time on the
Colon side). To offset its remote location, the marina operates
a small bus (holds about 25 folks) and does two runs per day,
both to and Colon and return.Currently, both runs are free altho' off-season they
charge for the afternoon run.This bus makes it possible to easily pay for your
berthing by doing your own clearance & transit arrangements, as
well as provisioning.Given all that,it's hard to imagine The Flats being an inviting choice
for most people.

The 'Other Side': If arriving from the
Pacific side, there is a mooring field at the Balboa YC (always
full, it seems, during the Spring Transit season) and anchorages
on both sides of the long Amador Causeway out to Flamenco Key.The BYC mooring field is probably the most'settled' spot when considering weather plus work boat
and cruise boat traffic.Otherwise you'll be on the hook, dinghy to a floating
dinghy dock ashore (15' tides) where you'll pay $5/day to land
the dink, and then catch a cab for most (tho' not all) of your
needs.The crews on
boats anchored & moored there will be able to tell you where the
necessary offices are located and/or just use the Bauhaus guide.The processes themselves shouldbe the same.

Use An Agent If...: Some boats arriving here
from the Bocas or the San Blas didn't realize they were supposed
to 'clear out' there first and get a Zarpe.This might be one good example of why, if your
particulars are (ahem...) “unique” in some fashion, an agent
might be a better choice for you.(Still, I met multiple skippers who failed to clear out
of the San Blas and who managed, on their own, to work it
through with the officials).

Clearing In:I'm going to keep this simple...or at least as simple as
Panama permits it to be. But to motivate you right off:If you do these four steps yourself, you will save $80
over the marina doing them, recovering the cost ofseveral nights in the marina)And keep in mind you do not need to clear in the moment
you arrive; you can give yourself a day or two...so better to
catch up on your sleep, get organized, and then tackle the
bureaucracy.

About those copies:You won't need all ten...but nearly so. The marina will
make copies for you tho' it's cheaper anywhere else in Colon.Still, having the marina make them the day before will
insure you are ready for the morning bus ride.

This handy satellite picture of Colon, in the Bauhaus guide, is
helpful to new arrivals

Take the morning bus to the Rey (done 6
days a week from SBM) on a weekday.Ask the bus driver if he will be continuing on and
clearing in new arrivals at the AMP (as he does this for the
marina most days).
If he says 'yes', he will be going right where you need to go.If he isn't, ask him if he will take you there anyway.If that isn't possible, just catch a cab at the Rey
($2-3, one way) for the AMP and begin...

1.Officially “arrive” or clear in
to Panama at the AMP (Autoridad Maritima de Panama) Office.It is shown as building #8 on the Bauhaus sat picture of
Colon (point it out to the taxi driver if you need to).Go up to the 3rd floor, find one of few
offices that are open, explain you need to clear in, and you'll
be directed to the right office.(Don't expect to find any signs on the doors).These folks are very nice and do speak a small amount of
English, so relax and look for the humor in the Spanish language
form you are wrestling with.In the end, they will probably be doing it with you.Once you are done there and after copies are handed over,
you will be directed right next door at the AMP where you...

2.Get your Cruising Permit.You will be given a form in Spanish to complete (did you
bring that dictionary?) and asked how long you want to stay.The longer the stay, the more the permit will cost (1
month - $49, 2 months - $59, 3 months - $69).Muchas copias are again distributed, you pay in cash, and
they type out your cruising permit.

3.You now must get passports
stamped, which gets you 72 hrs in Panama.Exit the AMP building and, while facing the CitiBank
right across the street, turn right and walk two blocks (these
are 'safe' blocks), past the HBC Bank on the left and you'll be
at the front gate for the commercial docks.The second door ('Migracion') at the entrance is where
the passports are stamped.Muchas mas copias are handed over and you get The Stamp
(whack!) in each passport.BUT before leaving, request the address of the
Immigration Office that you must now visit, as some cab drivers
don't know where it is.

4.You are now on the home stretch.Catch a cab at the Docks gate (they will be milling about
there) to the Immigration Office to purchase your 90 day Visa
(assuming you arrived without one in advance).When dropped off at the building (no signs again), before
going up to the 2nd floor you should cross the street
to the little internet cafe and have each of the passports
copied on the page where they were stamped at 'Migracion';
you'll need to provide that upstairs.Now up you go to the 2nd floor, muchas muchas
mas copias distributed, your stamps paid for (in cash; for a
crew of two our cost was $15)...and now you, your crew and your
boat are all cleared into Panama.Catch a cab back to the Rey and you should arrive in time
for the return ride in the morning bus leaving for the marina at
1115.

Arranging YOUR Canal Transit

Tires & Lines (on cabin top), next stop The Flats

Again, this is written from the perspective
of a boat transiting north to south (Caribbean to Pacific) which
is, by the way, the more challenging of the two runs...but more
on that later.To
arrange for a Transit, you will need to do the following:

Visit the Admeasurer's Office
(507 443 2298; out at the end of the Commerical Dock) to
schedule your measurement.Everyone in this office speaks perfect English.You grab a cab at the Rey, or just ride in the bus to the
AMP as before, and then walk those same two blocks to the
commercial dock's gate where you catch a cab (a bit cheaper if
you do it that way).Buzz through the security gate, go up to the 2nd
floor (the cab driver will need to wait for you) and provide
some of the copies you didn't use earlier.They will give you an appointment with the Admeasurer
right then.

The Admeasurer will arrive at the
boat and – mostly – fill out papers either in the air
conditioned marina office or down below in the boat. Some like
to inspect the boat's cleats, what fair leads exist on deck but
most do not.If the
lines you will be renting are aboard, he may ask to inspect
them...but this is not a requirement.You will be left with several forms, the key ones being
the Ship's Information & Quarantine Declaration and the Handline
Lockage Request.Also, among the ACP (Panama Canal Authority) papers will be a
description of what information is needed to arrange a wired
refund of your 'buffer fee' (the extra payment you make in case
you break down during the Transit).It is widely believed by yacht owners that you want to
direct the Admeasurer to NOT permit side-tying to the lock wall,
which is one of the four approved methods of locking up & down.Our boats & rigs are too vulnerable for that option, and
the Advisors don't like to do that either.

You are now ready to pay your
fees.Same drill as
when clearing in:Take the bus or taxi to the AMP and enter the CitiBank branch
immediately opposite it.Have all the information with you that the 'wire
instructions' require, if you aren't planning to hang around for
3-4 weeks and get the refund personally.This is 'pucker factor' time, as you'll be walking into
this bank branch – in a section of crime-ridden Colon – with at
least $1500 in hard cash stuffed in your pockets, which you've
collected incrementally from one of the Rey or other ATMs in
town.Taking the
morning bus is a safe way to get to the bank with that cash.Another option is to catch a cab at the marina (they
recommend some drivers, if you care) so there's no stopping
along the way to the bank.Visit the little window that is labeled 'Canal Transit',
then deposit your money with the teller, and then return to the
window to submit your wire instructions (they have a form for
this).And by the
way, your 'customer number' (required on the wire instructions)
is furnished by the Bank; don't look for it in the Admeasurer's
paperwork.

Now it is time to get your
Transit date, which pretty much drives everything that follows.Call the Scheduler (507 272 4202) any time after 1800 on
the day you paid the fees (yes, many ACP offices work pretty
much 24/7).The
date assigned is apparently fairly rock solid; I've not seen a
single boat's Transit date changed by the ACP.

You'll have begun looking for
line handlers at some point, and having the date will help you
find them.Backpackers, curious vacationers and other non-skilled (and
perhaps non-English speaking) folks look for line handling
opportunities, and traveling backpackers in particular look for
it as a way to make some money.(The going rate is $80/line handler for the full
Transit...but this is what experienced, strong and young guys
who know what they are doing will cost you.)A non-English speaking (don't forget, everything about
the Transit is done in English) and non-sailing backpacker might
cost you a good deal more. We watched a mid-30's British steel
cutter rip a cleat right off a 54' Amel because their line
handlers (yes, non-speaking backpackers) didn't handle the
boat-to-boat raft-up lines properly.So...this is a time to think clearly about in who's hands
you want your boat's fate.As one professional skipper said to me, “Get professional
line handlers. That's where many of the yacht accidents start.”I chose to ignore his advice but 4 of WHOOSH's 5 line
handlers have had previous Canal Transit experience, and I'm
glad they did.I
also strongly recommend you and your crew make a Transit on
another boat before doing one yourself.It will help you decide how to run the lines on your
boat, where the crew should position themselves, whether open
chocks may prove a problem for you or not, and much more.

While this has been going on, you
have probably also been watching where all the tires are dropped
off on boats locking thru to your side of the Canal.On the Shelter Bay side, they are just dumped in a pile.The marina thinks it's entitled to charge $3/tire for you
to recycle the tires left by others.I think that's outrageous, a service they should gladly
offer for free, and recommend you do what many do:help yourself after hours.Choose a number of tires that makes you feel comfortable;
there are no specific guidelines.FWIW we had 5 tires a side on WHOOSH.The 'dock wisdom' is that these be attached with light
line – nothing too strong – so that, if the tire does snag on
something, it's the line and not your boat's attachment point
that fails, because it certainly isn't the tire that will tear
apart.

Similarly, you've probably been
talking with taxi drivers and agents about providing lines.The going rate (now) is $15 a line, and these must be in
excellent shape and 125' or longer.The condition of these really does matter and you want
them delivered a few days before the transit so, on inspection,
any problematic lines can be swapped out for good ones.It is now common to see polypropylene lines being used,
in which case you have to tie in the required 3' eye with a
bowline.

Just because you're getting sooo
good at visiting the AMP, you need to drop by the Cruising
Permit one more time (current CP and a copy of it in hand).This is where you get your Zarpe that permits your boat
to leave the Colon area for somewhere else.It's a judgment call here: You can clear out for Balboa,
in which case you'll need to clear out yet again on departure
from Balboa, or you might choose to clear out for your next
anticipated destination.The Zarpe cost us $8.20.(If you feel you pretty much know when you'll be
transiting, then you can take care of this when paying the money
at CitiBank.That
would certainly be the more convenient choice)

That's about it.You call the Scheduler the day before your Transit to get
the time your Advisor will meet the boat out in the Flats.You will also need to visit Immigration at some point
when it's time to clear your crew out of Panama.Otherwise it's about cleaning up the deck to remove lines
and other gear that might foul the handling of the lines (roller
furling lines might be a good example of this, as are jugs,
fender boards and such), and making sure your engine is as
reliable as can be...because you will not be turning it off
during any part of either day's transit, even when sitting in
the locks.

How much will this have cost to have someone else do it?Well, first understand that an Agent's fee includes him
doing all of the running around, making of copies, and such.A common cost I heard while here in March, 2010 was $250.A taxi driver is not an agent, so you do most of the
running around with him.Tito, one commonly used fellow (who in fact employs a
cadre of drivers and runners; you may never see Tito), charges
$100.What that
$100 fee boiled down to was taking me to the Admeasurer's Office
and (failing to) take me to the Bank...and for knowing what you
now know.Given
what things cost in Panama and how hard some people work for
their salaries here, I came to the after-the-fact conclusion the
fee is excessive.

WHOOSH made it! With the Advisor watching, one of WHOOSH's line
handlers begins to clean up lines on exiting the last Canal lock

Beyond whatever 'getting it done' fee
charged by the Agent or Driver (perhaps $250 or $100,
respectively), the other current charges are $3 per tire, $60
for 4 lines, and $25 to fetch the Zarpe for the boat.So my all-up fee for using a Taxi driver, for WHOOSH, was
$215.If I'd done
ALL the above steps myself, rather than only some of them, I
would have only paid $60 for the lines.

What's the Transit Like:One surprise was that most of what I'd read or heard
about the Canal and transiting in a yacht was either incomplete
or no longer current.E.g. Advisors (the guys who will be aboard for your
Transit) are not 'Pilots in Training'.The Panama Pilot School is now closed, all the Advisors
are part-timers with regular jobs elsewhere, and their
experience and aspirations vary greatly.Most do an excellent job, unlike the line handlers on the
lock walls who seem a primary source of problems if what we've
heard and seen is any indication.

Here's an important thing to remember if
you are making the N to S (Caribbean to Pacific) Transit.Without a doubt, the toughest locks are the three
sequential Gatun locks.Right when your line handling crew is untested, you'll
get the most action in the locks as they fill and keeping the
raft of boats centered is most important.This is when you'll appreciate how strong a line handler
should be, and why many of us rely on sheet winches in the
cockpit for our stern lines.

There's lots more to learn about doing a
Transit, and the Bauhaus guide does a good job of giving you the
detail along with some history.And don't forget: Even
as I write this, the ACP is expanding the Canal to include a
new, third set of locks for post-Panamax vessels – yet another
engineering marvel that's in the making now with a completion
date of 2014.

Where to provision, repair and prepare?

Because of its location, the limited resources elsewhere in the
region, and the large, in part modern Panama City, the Canal
area is a major cross-roads for yachts from all over the world,
almost always stopping long enough to provision, do repairs,
replace equipment and prepare for their next legs. For these
reasons, a key decision is where to put the boat while meeting
those needs. Moreover, the two sides of the isthmus - Colon and
Balboa/P.C. - are not conveniently located nearby one another,
so matching the primary destination with the particular needs of
the boat and crew is important.

Boats approaching from the Caribbean side and Pacific-bound have
6 basic choices to rest, provision & prepare the boat. Boats
arriving in Balboa from elsewhere along the Pacific coast have 4
of these. None are close to ideal, each will suit some crews (&
their wallets) better than others, and much has been published
(guides, blogs, commercial websites) on all of them. Here are
some personal thoughts of ours for your consideration:

Colon Side:

'The Flats': See my comments above. Despite it being where
most boats 'hung out' in prior years, it has little to recommend
it today beyond low cost. And you may or may not be asked to
pay an anchoring fee when obtaining your Zarpe from the Port
Captain's Office to leave Colon, whether its to move down to the
San Blas, do a Transit, or clear out of Panama. This is an
established fee, not some official's idea of graft, and is
currently reported to be $3/day for the duration of your
anchoring period.

Shelter Bay Marina: Very much a mix of the 'good' with the
'mediocre', and at a cost that leads some cruisers to call it
'Shelter Pay'. The new infrastructure (floating docks, small
pool, air-conditioned TV/internet room) are all first-class and
the best you'll find in the region. And the dockmaster,
Gabriel, is the best we've experienced. However, the distance
from poor Colon (the bus ride can get held up by the Gatun Locks
and easily make it a half-day just to do some grocery shopping),
the one cafe (indifferent management; silly prices), contracted
fuel barge (here today, gone who-knows-where tomorrow), the
under-managed but overly complicated bureaucracy by which the
marina is run (at times byzantine) are all decided drawbacks.
The boat yard has a good deal of room and a big lift, and is
about the only affordable game in this region...tho' the
conditions (hot & humid with a blowy, dirt-laden wind) are not
appealing. We watched the marina almost double its capacity in
the span of the 3 weeks we were there, so they are now able to
handle more boats (up to true Megayachts), which is a good thing
because the demand is high.

SBM will probably look best in retrospect, after one samples the
other options. And another benefit not to be ignored are that
parts can be Fedex'd or DHL'd directly to the marina and
delivered to your boat. This can be done using SBM's shipping
agent up in Miami (4-6 week waiting period is advertised tho' it
could be half that) or you can order and ship things direct to
you on your own at great expense. E.g. our 2 pound box of mail
& small parts, shipped Fedex from Florida at the International
Priority rate and declared as 'no value/mail', cost over $200.
On the other hand, we got it in 3 days. When looking at the
six location options, we chose to do as much provisioning and
boat work as we could, in as brief a time as possible, at SBM
and then minimize our time over on the Balboa side given the
nature of the options there. Other folks have made the opposite
choice because of the variety of goods & services in the PC
area.

Balboa Side:

Balboa Yacht Club: We did not stay here, so these are
impressions formed by others' comments. This is certainly a
more settled body of water than the other options on the Balboa
side except the marina, and your time on a mooring exempts one
from paying the anchoring fee to the Port Captain for that same
period. (Again, this $3/day fee is applied unevenly, it seems).
BYC has shoreside amenities (restaurant, internet, showers & a
launch service of limited means) and was charging $.60/ft/day so
it's not cheap. During the high season (late winter/early
spring as boats transit and prepare for their Pacific jumps), it
is full and with one of those waiting lists that is very 'fluid'
so on-site pestering, in a nice way, is to your advantage. This
would give you a shipping address if you plan to order in things
directly (although you have other options - see below). You are
also a bit closer to Balboa's and PC's markets, reducing the cab
fares a bit. And if you are willing to consider using a marine
railway, the adjacent one is very inexpensive ($50/day). Bottom
Line: Probably the most desirable of the affordable options on
this side.

La Playita de Amador Anchorage: This is on the south side of
the Amador Causeway and a bit further down the channel from the
BYC. The causeway was built by the U.S. Army decades ago and is
now the site of various pleasure zones (restaurants, upscale
marina, hotels, etc.). This anchorage lies parallel to the main
ship channel and ACP work boats ply up and down that channel at
all hours, which is why you can be rolled out of your bed in the
middle of a seemingly quiet night. During the day, the various
fishing & tour boats (and occasional tourist cayuco) plow
through the anchorage, some at obnoxious speeds, as there is no
identified channel and the gaggle of yachts clustered there
offer no other alternative. Along with being an uneasy
anchorage quite some distance from shops & malls, one must pay
$30/week to use a floating dinghy dock at the tour boat/cafe
consession stand inside the adjacent basin. This facility is
run by Senora Carmen, who nets over $10,000 per season from we
yachties, yet can't spend $50 for cleats on the dock for her
customers' dinghies. Cabs are easily caught at the concession
area, there are several small, nice chandlers in the immediate
area (Abernathy's and Pesqueros), diesel and water is at the
dinghy dock, and the Ranchita restaurant pleases some of the
cruising crowd...so all is not bad. But add in the Port
Captain's $3/day anchoring fee to the $30/week Carmen expects
and there is very little service for meaningful expense if you
stay long. Moreover, the yachts and their crews are viewed as a
seasonal plague to be endured rather than a desirable addition
to the other businesses. The unpleasantness ashore at times
matched the anchorage.

The Public Anchorage: This is across from La Playita and on the
north side of the Amador Causeway, so one goes around Isla
Flamenco from the main ship's channel to reach it. During the
dry season it suffers from the long fetch of the N'ly winds
across the Bay and so the anchored & moored boats bob in the
white caps...but there is no work boat traffic, so no rolling.
There is a small floating dinghy dock at the east end of that
anchorage, altho' low tide and limited space has been known to
damage the gear legs of outboards there. Reportedly, there is a
similar dinghy docking fee there ($5/day) but we did not use it.
The walk from the dinghy dock to the Causeway is very short and
taxis can be caught there easily. And in addition, the local
bus stops regularly along this route and can take riders from
both anchorages into the central area where buses depart for all
parts of PC. Again, note that an anchoring fee may apply when
clearing out.

For both the above anchorages, bringing in parts and other
things you can't find in PC, folks usually track down a shipping
company that offers the same periodic schedule at reduced
shipping rates as mentioned earlier for SBM. Pakya Panama is
one such company and is located in a very popular area of PC
that includes the large Abernathy's (yacht chandler), a Riba
Smith grocery (very modern, with the widest selection of foods
of all kinds and always well stocked), Rodelag Ace Hardware and
a Do-It Center (two DIY hardware stores), Dilupia (an excellent
source of oil filters & oil) and Panama Auto (just across the
street and also well stocked) and - wait for it, because you
knew it was coming - the MegaDepot, one of many discount food &
large-lot stores in PC. Probably every cab in PC knows where
the MegaDepot is located so finding this stretch should prove
quite simple.

Flamenco Marina: This is located in a basin, along with an
adjacent yacht club, at the end of the Causeway on Isla
Flamenco. It's priced above most cruisers budgets and lacks
some services (no laundry facilities), but it may serve as a
good place to dock the boat when bringing aboard or dropping off
crew you've flown in and with whom you wish to share the
'Transit Experience'.

It's worth noting, for boats in all four of these locations,
that at the very end of the Isla Flamenco complex is a small
office of immigration and customs officials, a very handy place
to clear out when preparing to depart Panama.